Many establishments serving popular black tea beverages were found with bacteria and germs that surpassed the amount deemed safe by the Consumers' Foundation (CF), which unveiled the report yesterday. Jumbo-sized drinks were especially prone to incubating such bacteria.

Tests conducted by the foundation showed 53 percent of all extra-large cups used for drinks had cultivated some type of bacteria, especially those sold in night markets. One drinks establishment at the Taipei Raohe night market, called “A-Hau,” was singled out for having large amounts of the E. coli bacteria.

The CF study was conducted in August. Classifying jumbo-sized drinks as those with a volume of 1000cc and above, the foundation said such drinks are usually priced between NT$20 and NT$25 and especially popular with students.

Such drinks often contain the flavoring Coumarin and other preservatives, the CF said, adding that all drinks showed limited amounts of both when they underwent testing. However, the “A-Hau” branch in the Raohe night market failed safety standards due to the high amount of bacteria and E. coli found in its drinks.

According to the CF, the problem could lie with the water or ice cubes used in the drinks, which likely became contaminated at one point. It could also be that the environment in which the drinks are served is unclean.

Are they talking about self-serve soda/tea dispenser types? Like a "Big Gulp?" I'm sure that's true. Those machines are rarely cleaned and dried thoroughly, so they probably have nice healthy cultivations of bacteria all through the reservoir and tubes. Yuck.